I was talking to a couple of friends last night and they kept bragging on the performance on these bullets. Both guys were using the Barnes XLC Boat Tail X Bullets in their .30-06 Rifes and both agreed that they have never seen such performance and instantous kils. The animals there were talking about ranged in size from Deer to an almost record Black Bear to Elk and Moose.

Well you guys know me, I am always looking for a better mouse trap so to speak, and I am thinking about maybe trying a 130gr. Barnes XLC Boat Tail X Bullet in the .30-30 Ackley Improved when I aquire another barrel. Any ideas as to how they will perform ? The reason I am considering this bullet is due to the terrain in which I hunt, and at times even if a Deer makes it 20 yards after the shot, finding that Deer in the thick Rice Cane can be a real chore.

I have always shyed away from the Barnes X Bullets due to the horror stories I heard and read about their copper fouling. These guys told me the coating on the XLC Bullets all but eliminates this problem.

I sent an E-Mail to Barnes requesting info as to the minimum impact velocity at which the 130gr. Barnes XLC Boat Tail X Bullet with expand in the soft tissue of a Whitetail without hitting any bone.

Anyone have any experience with these bullets at handgun velocities?

Thanks

Larry

Larry - I would be interested in hearing what you find out. I contacted Barnes in looking for a bullet for the 375 Win in a 14 inch Contender. Barnes recommended that I look at their 250 grain X bullet, since they say expansion is excellent at around 1800 fps. I may give them a try.

For Contenders and or G-2's you migth consider giving JD (SSK) a call. He used to (5 or so years ago) discourage the "X's" in Contenders because of pressure issues. Barnes may have changed some or Maybe JD has, but it would be worth your while.

I talked to a very nice guy by the name of Ty this morning at Barnes Bullets. We had a long talk and I explained all of our experiments with the .30-30 AI in Contender Handguns, and the performance levels we have been achieving.

The conversation then turned to the XLC X Bullets and their coating. NO this is not a Moly Coating, but rather a dry coating that does not rub off and reduces both friction and fouling dramatically. He then went on to say that with the XLC Bullets the charge weights are more on line with conventional bullets and I could expect the same or slightly more velocity per bullet weight. With the conventional X Bullets without the coatings there is a pressure issue, but I was told that the XLC X Bullets with the coating are not nearly as critical. I may just shoot JD an e-mail to see if he has worked with the Coated X Bullets.

We then talked about the Minimum Impact Velocity at which a couple different .308 Caliber XLC X Bullets will expand in the soft tissue of a Whitetail without hitting bone. He was kind enough to look up the test data for me and stated that the 130gr. Barnes XLC Boat Tail X Bullet will expand down to impact velocities of 1600 FPS (given the parameters I outlined) and the 150gr. Barnes XLC Boat Tail X Bullet will expand down to impact velocities of 1800 FPS (given the parameters I outlined).

Yes these bullets are expensive, but they sound like just what I have been looking for. Ty was also very interested in the info I gave him on the .30-30 AI Contenders, and IF I end up using the X Bullets in a .30-30 AI he said he would like a report on their performance.

I may just have to give them a try when I aquire another .30-30 AI Contender Barrel.

Larry

Thanks for checking it out Larry.

Post deleted by MePlat

Meplat,
You wrote, what I was thinking--Great Question!
And that question must be answered / considered with any bullet where you will be potentially using it at the end of it's performance level. For some bullets you have to consider what the imapct velocity at short range will be.

You are absolutely correct, but I do not have that answer. However with Ty telling me what he did I think that the minimum impact velocity he quoted me is a lot farther down range than I would be expecting to shoot at game anyways.

Larry

I would ask Ty again on what kind of opening or percentage of opening he is talking about. Have him show you a pic of what it should look like. Then, you can decide if it enough for you to put an animal down. I would also ask different companies about other companies bullets. If there are any skeletons / weaknesses in the closet, the competition usually knows. Of course, they will sometimes be prejudiced against whereas the company itself sometimes will be prejudiced on the positive side. I know I have a good tech is when they tell me what works and what doesn't work with their product. I had a guy talk me out of a $220 product (his product) because he flatly believed it would work for my application. that is the kind of people I want to do business with.